Water-power plant.



E. BASSETT.

Y WATER POWER' PLANT. APPLICATION FILEDk ocr. 1o. |914.

hmm om. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I,

attra sans ifea ELI/1ER BASSETT, 0F SHELBYVILLE, INDIANA.

- WATER-POWER PLANT.

ritiene..

ed certain new and useful Improvements in 1Water-Power Plants; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains Ito make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereoinwhich form a part of thls specication. 1

My invention relates towater p ower plants and has 'for its object to provide a simple and' efcient water wheel to which tol til

lili

thewaterof a' stream is conveyed or guided and which wheel is providedwith mechanism for raising and lowering it according to the level ofthe stream, suchmechanism being pneumaticv mechanism actuated by compressed air from a suitable source, preferably from a tank in which air has been compressed bythe power generated by thewheel7 as will hereinafter Vbe morel particularly described and pointed out in the claims. n

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are similarly designated- Figure 1 is va plan view of the power plant. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the wheel. Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section along the axis of the wheel. Fig. 4

is a detail sectional view of one of the pneumatic pistons, and Fig. 5 is a section through a three-way cock controlling the air to the piston. y

Ei herv partly or entirely extending across the stream 'from one bank to the other, I provide a cement bottom 1 provided with guide walls 2 atan angle to one another, at the apex of which l form piers 3 of sufficient width apart for the wheel 4. The` guide Walls 2 are' preferably slightly above the normal water level, so that when the water .ands by long Yentensions 8 pessingwthrough Specification of Letters Patent.

,fpiidedY at their ripper,...

Patented ct. 26, 1915.

Application led October 10, 1914. Serial No. 866,125.

guides 9 'on top of the piers 3. At the bottom of the cylinders 7 enter air pipes 10 which are branches of a single pipe 11 from an air storage tank 12 supplied with air by a compressor or pump indicated at 13, which pump 'is driven y a belt 14 actuated by an electric motor l5 supplied with electricity from a generator-16 driven by the water wheel 4.

The shaft of the wheel 4 is connected to shallow portion of the stream or on the shore as the particular nature' of the stream may require or demand.

provide on 'the line` shaft 20, a suitable clutch 22 operated by a lever 23 whereby the power shaft may be disconnected from the 'water wheel.

Between the pipes 10 and 11 is a threeway valve 24 by means of which air from the tank 12 can be admitted to pipes 10 and cylinders 7, can be cut off entirely, or can be vented to the atmosphere, whereby the raising and lowering of the pistons 6 is effected andcontrolled. ln addition to the valve 24 there is a valve 25 in each pipe 10 to individually control the admission of air to the cylinders'for the purpose of admitting more air to one cylinder than the other in case the rate of rise of the pistons should not be the same from any source.

A suitable electric switch 26 is provided in the electric power line 27 to disconnect the motor 15 operating the pump.

In order to maintain the wheel 4 at the desired height, the pistons 6 are provided with notches 28 into which may engage a pawl 29 mounted on the pier 3, to support the pistons in their raised positions, see dotted line position, Fig. y4.

The operation of the plant is as follows:

The water, when the stream is at an ordinary level will be guided between the guide walls 2 to the water wheel 4 to the piers 3, to drive the water wheel 4 and shafts 17, 20. When 'the water level raises, the walls 2 are sufficiently low to permit the water to pass over them without prejudicially alfecting the operation of the wheel, and the wheel 4, when necessary, is raised by opening valve 1,24 and adrluttingv compressed air through ,pipes 10 to cylinders 7 below the pistons 6, thereby raising these pistons and the water wheel 4 mounted therein. Meanwhile, the pawls 29 have been moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 and when the pistons have been 'raised to a sufficient height the air is cut off and the pistons settled quietly tothe position determined by the pawls 29 and notches 28, the settling of the pistons being due to the leakage of air from the cylinders. l

By using the pawls 29 to support the pistons at proper elevation it becomes unnecessary for me to use extreme care in acking the pistons and cylinders to prevent eakage.

I claim- 1. In a water power plant, the combination with a water Wheel, of pneumatic pistons and cylinders for raising and lowering said wheel, a pump for supplying compressed air to said pistons, an electric motor .for driving said pump and an electric generator for` supplying current to said r'notor driven from saidr wheel.

2. In a Water power plant, the combination with a water wheel, of pneumatic pis-4 Wheel, compressed air conduits c o1n' 3. In a water power plant, the combination with a water wheel, of pneumatic pistons and cylinders for raising and lowering said wheel, said pistons having guided extensions and notches therein, pawls arranged for engagement in said notches, a three-way valve to control a simultaneous admission of air to said cylinders, and valves to independently control the admission of air thereto.

4. In a water power plant, the combination with a water wheel, of pneumatic pistons and cylinders for raising and lowering said wheel, said pistons having guided extensions and notches therein, pawls arranged for engagement in said notches, a three-way valve to control a simultaneous admission of air to said cylinders, valves to independently control the admission of air thereto, a line shaft, a universal connection between the water Wheel and said shaft, said connection capable of extension, a clutclr in the line shaft, an electric generator driven by said.

line shaft, a pump for supplying compressed air to said pistons, and an electric motor for driving said pump, said motor supplied with current from said generator.

.In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELMER BASSETT.

Witnesses:

RAY EARHART, DANIEL E. FORD. 

